Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-04-09
The farmer filed up his Jug and

as Tar as possipie out OF the way
when the old lady came home.
sHetty likes her own way said
he, and so does mother, and when
flint and steel come together, there's
most generally fret
But poor Mother Martin came
home in quite different fashion from
what they expected. Struck down
with appoplexy at the neighbours
house, she was carried back across
her own threshold, dead. And Mrs.
Martin, who, in spite of her pecu-
liarities, had been fond of her
mother in-law, wept tears OF genuine
grief, and audibly rejoiced that
grandma had never known about the
selling of her old papers, and the
filling up of the ancient well.
So Mrs. Martin, senior, was dead
and buried in the old cemetery by
the mountain side,
Strange, amt it p said Mrs. Dea-
con Trudge. Everybody s'posed
old Mrs. Martin had money in the
bank, and now there amt a sign of
it to be found 7"
'All fooled away in them deceivin
shares that her son Josiah was ruin
ed WITH said Miss Grundy. That's
the way it's gone, you may depend
But Mr.. and Mrs. Hosea Martin
could not believe that grandma
could so far have lost her senses as
to fritter solid money away like
that.
AS sure as you live, Hosea,' said
the wife, she's put it away some
where. In stocking or a bag, or
up the chimbly, or under the bricks
of the old kitchen hearth. and it
must be found. For Matilda's sake!
Grandma always said Matty was to
have her money, and now that she
is engaged to Rufus Burton, and
all
It's my private opinion, Hetty,
said the farmer, shaking his head in
sort of discouraging way, that
you sold that money, done up in the
rag-bagsp
Nonsense = said Mrs. Martin,
growing pale. 1t might have been
in the files of newspapers, laid fiat
and stitched down. I've heard tell
o. such things. And to speak the
truth, Hosea, I've been to the Ell
de-'s and looked over. every identi-
cal one Of them papers. BY good
luck, the package hadn't even been
united. But there wasn't nothin'
there but printers ink. But the
rags-O, Hosea, wouldn't know
the man with the string of bells and
the rag-wagon from Job? And
where he went and where he came
from, the good Lord only knows ?
Il reckon you'll find that house
cleanin' came pretty expensive said
Mr.. Martin, dryly.
All search proved unavailing.
Nothing could be dissolved of grand
mas money, no scrap of paper to
afford clew, no hidden hoard, not
even word of allusion to it in the
old lady's neatly kept memorandum
book. And to Maltilda's exquisite
modification, Mr.. Rufus Burton, af-
ter decent period of time had
elapsed, delicately gave her to I'M
derstand that he didn't feel able to
marry at present, and that, sooner
than bind her bp the trammels of a
long engagement, he considered it
better to release her from her troth.
Just as you please said Matty
Martin, with true New England
spirit. All the tears she shed were
wept in secret, to the great disap
pointment of the neighborhood, who
were looking out with some interest
to see if Matilda Martin would pine
any, now that Rufe Burton had nit
tened her.
But she didn't. Instead Of that
she married Alva Dean, who had al
WAYS loved her from a child